The Dropkick Murphys are an American Celtic punk band formed in Quincy, Massachusetts in 1996.[2] The band was initially signed to independent punk record label Hellcat Records, releasing five albums for the label, and making a name for themselves locally through constant touring and yearly St. Patrick's Day week shows, held in and around Boston. The 2004 single "Tessie" became the band's first mainstream hit and one of their biggest charting singles to date. The band's final Hellcat release, 2005's The Warrior's Code, included the song "I'm Shipping Up to Boston"; the song was featured in the 2006 Academy Award-winning movie The Departed, and went on to become the band's only Platinum-selling single to date, and remains one of their best-known songs. The band is known for their loud, energetic live shows.

Lead singer Mike McColgan left the band in 1998 during the middle of a US tour with The Business. According to McColgan he wanted to follow in the footsteps of his uncle and join the Boston Fire Department, which he eventually would do in 2001.[10] The band gave a different explanation to McColgan's departure in the liner notes of their 1998 7" release Curse of a Fallen Soul: "We'd like to take this time to officially let you know that Mike McColgan, our former lead singer has quit the band. We apologize to anyone who was a fan of Mike as our singer, however contrary to popular rumor, he did not leave the band to join the fire department. Mike left the band because he is no longer interested in being a member of this band or the movement of which we are a part." The band goes on to explain that their music is very serious to them and that it did not feel right having a singer who was going through the motions. Even Mike felt that the band deserved a singer who was emotionally invested in the music. Mike would later return to the punk scene in 2003 as singer of the Street Dogs.[11]

Following McColgan's departure, the band searched for a replacement however were not having much luck. Al Barr, lead singer for The Bruisers was well aware of the Dropkick Murphys and at first actually resented the fact that the Dropkick Murphys were quickly becoming one of the biggest bands in the area, opening for all the bigger bands to come through, a slot Barr and The Bruisers would usually have obtained. Barr was informed of McColgan's departure and quickly assumed that the band was finished however he was contacted by Derek TC NYSR producer-founder of the groundbreaking 1990s Oi!-Skampilation series at the Middle East Club in Cambridge and informed to contact Ken Casey right away. Barr went in to audition for the band, first performing a new song titled "10 Years of Service" and was offered the job right away, which he accepted. Barr's first release with the band was the 1998 7" single for "Curse of a Fallen Soul".

On March 9, 1999, the band released their second studio album and first with Barr, The Gang's All Here. The album featured more of a hardcore–street punk sound closer to that of Barr's former band, The Bruisers, and more of an Irish influence than on their debut album. The band gained their first mainstream exposure when the video for their single "10 Years of Service" received airplay on the MTV show 120 Minutes. The band set out on a year-long tour to support the album. In late 1999, the band along with The Business, released a split single titled, "Mob Mentality" in 1999. A year later they released a full-length album of the same name featuring the two bands covering each other's songs along with songs from other artists. Dropkick Murphys also re-recorded their own song "Boys on the Docks" with Al on vocals.

As the band began the process of recording their third album in 2000, Rick Barton decided to quit during the recording sessions. In 2014 Barton discussed his departure saying "Myself and Kenny ended up hating each other. We've since made amends, but you know, touring in a band for four straight years… that same old story." With Barton gone, the band added four new members which included former The Ducky Boys guitarist James Lynch, who joined shortly prior to Barton's departure, 17-year-old guitarist Marc Orrell, mandolin and tin whistle player Ryan Foltz and bagpipe player Robbie "Spicy McHaggis" Mederios, whose nickname was inspired by a McDonald's menu item while the band was on a tour in Scotland, would join the band as their new full-time bagpipe player replacing touring piper Joe Delaney who could no longer commit full-time to the band.[12] With a new line-up in place, the band spent the rest of 2000 recording their third album.

Sing Loud, Sing Proud! was released on February 9, 2001. The album showcased the band's developing sound and new lineup (Rick Barton was featured on three of the album's tracks) and included collaborations with Pogues frontman Shane MacGowan and Cock Sparrer's Colin McFaull. The album would feature the singles and music videos for "The Spicy McHaggis Jig", "The Gauntlet" and a cover of "The Wild Rover" and also featured the Boston Collegefight song, "For Boston", which would go on to become one of the band's most performed show openers. The band would embark on one of their biggest tours at the time. In 2002, the band recorded three shows at the Avalon Ballroom during St. Patricks Day weekend, a weekend performance of shows in their hometown of Boston that would become an annual and must see event for the band and their fans. The result of these recording was the band's first live album, Live on St. Patrick's Day from Boston, MA which was released in September 2002.

In 2002, former lead singer, Mike McColgan formed the band Street Dogs. The first incarnation of the line-up would also feature Jeff Erna, the original drummer for the Dropkick Murphys. The band released their debut album, Savin Hill in 2003. The song, "Stand Up" featured guest appearances by Ken Casey and Al Barr. Casey was originally asked to produce the album however he was too busy with the Dropkick Murphys.

Following the Sing Loud, Sing Proud tour in early 2003, McHaggis decided to quit the band and was replaced by Canadian piper Scruffy Wallace. Foltz would depart soon after (though he made an appearance in the music video for "Gonna Be A Blackout Tonight", a song featured on the band's next record). Multi-instrumentalist, Tim Brennan was recruited to replace Foltz.

On June 10, 2003, the band's fourth album, Blackout, was released. The album included the minor radio hit "Walk Away", as well as the fan favorite song "Fields of Athenry". The band also re-recorded "The Dirty Glass". The song was previously released the prior year on Face to Face vs. Dropkick Murphys with Kay Hanley as a guest vocalist. The re-recorded version featured vocals from Stephanie Dougherty (Deadly Sins). Dougherty became an unofficial member of the band and would also join them on tour working their merchandise table until departing the band in 2009 (although she would return for random performances of the song following her departure). The song "Time To Go" was written about the Boston Bruins, and in November 2003 the band performed the song live at the TD Garden during intermission at a Bruins game. The song was also included on the soundtracks for the video games Tony Hawk's Underground[13] and NHL 2005. Blackout also included a special bonus DVD with the music video for "Gonna Be A Blackout Tonight" along with two live clips filmed during the 2002 St. Patrick Day shows. It also featured the trailer for the band's then untitled upcoming DVD which would eventually be titled On the Road With the Dropkick Murphys and released in March 2004. The tour to support the album featured the band appearing on the 2003 Warped Tour. Tim Brennan was added to the lineup to play accordion making the Dropkick Murphys now a seven-piece band however shortly following the Warped Tour, Ryan Foltz, who was now basically a touring member as he didn't appear on the Blackout album, would quit the band.

For the 2004 baseball season the band released a re-working of an old Boston Red Sox song, "Tessie". "Tessie" was used in the major motion picture Fever Pitch and was included on the EA Sports video game MVP Baseball 2005 soundtrack. The band was invited to the Fever Pitch premiere of the movie which was held at Fenway Park where the video was also shot. The song continues to be played at Red Sox games along with Dirty Water after games the team wins. In 2005, Dropkick Murphys released Singles Collection Volume 2, featuring covers, B-sides, and other material that didn't make it onto previous albums, and the band contributed a recording of "We Got the Power" to Rock Against Bush, Vol. 2, an outtake from the Blackout album.

Their fifth studio album and final album for Hellcat Records, The Warrior's Code, was released on June 21, 2005 and made its debut at number 49 on the album charts, which at the time was the highest debut for a Dropkick Murphys album. The album features the singles "Sunshine Highway" and "The Warrior's Code" as well as the bonus track "Tessie".

The Warrior's Code also featured a re-recorded version of "I'm Shipping Up to Boston", a song originally recorded for the band's "Fields of Athenry" single. The song featured lyrics from a Woody Guthrie poem the band found in his archives. The song was featured in the 2006 Academy Award winning film The Departed, Martin Scorsese's adaptation of the Hong Kong crime thriller Infernal Affairs. Two videos, one with and one without footage from The Departed, were made due to overwhelming response to the song, which became one of the band's biggest hits to date and helped introduce Dropkick Murphys to an even bigger mainstream audience thanks to the film and soundtrack. The song was also used in The Simpsons episode "The Debarted".[14] "I'm Shipping Up to Boston" became the walk-up song of Red Sox closer Jonathan Papelbon, who danced an Irish jig to the song several times throughout the 2007 Boston Red Sox Championship season. During the team's victory parade, Papelbon did the jig while the Murphys played the song on the same float. In 2012 the band said that since Papelbon signed with the Philadelphia Phillies, he could no longer use the song, as it was a "Boston song". They hoped the new Red Sox closer Andrew Bailey would use it, but both Bailey and his replacement, Koji Uehara, used different songs.[15] Currently Washington Nationals' second baseman Daniel Murphy uses the song as he walks to the plate.[citation needed] It is also played before Ireland's rugby team home fixtures after the National Anthems at the Aviva Stadium, Dublin, formerly Lansdowne Road.

Guitarist Marc Orrell announced in January 2008 that he was leaving the band after eight years. Orrell said of his departure "I'm very grateful for everything playing with DKM has brought me and I'm sad to be going but I feel like the time has come for me to try working on different styles of music and some of my own projects, I'm ready to spread my wings as they say." Tim Brennan replaced Orrell as a full-time guitarist while multi-instrumentalist Jeff DaRosa was announced as a new member of the band.[16] The re-configured line-up continued to tour into 2008, including a number of dates that July with The Mighty Mighty Bosstones. On July 10, 2008, the band performed at LeLacheur Park in Lowell, Massachusetts, where they announced that the show was being recorded and released as their next live album. Their show in Pawtucket, Rhode Island saw a sellout crowd of 10,060 which according to the band was their largest ever.

During the band's 2010 tour, a special pirate-themed backdrop was unfurled during the encore performance of "I'm Shipping Up to Boston".

On January 1, 2010, the band gave a performance of "I'm Shipping Up to Boston" before the Boston Bruins–Philadelphia FlyersNHL Winter Classic, held at Boston's Fenway Park. Two months later on March 16, 2010, the band released their second live album, Live on Lansdowne, Boston MA. The album also featured the band's first full-length live DVD. The album made its debut at No. 25 in the U.S. charts, making it their second-highest charting album at the time. Ken Casey gave an interview that same month to alt porn website Burning Angel announcing that the band would be hitting the studio in the summer or early fall of 2010 to record their next album.[19]

In December 2010, "The Warrior's Code", the title track from the 2005 album of the same name, was briefly featured in the Academy Award-nominated film The Fighter. The film stars Mark Wahlberg, Christian Bale, and Amy Adams and tells the story of Micky Ward, a boxer from Lowell, Massachusetts, who also appears on the cover of The Warrior's Code and is the subject of the song. He as become good friends with the band. "The Warrior's Code" was also featured in the trailer for the comedy Your Highness. The following year, "Barroom Hero" was featured in the Academy Award-nominated documentary Restrepo, making it the band's third song to be featured in an Oscar-nominated film.[20]"

The band released their seventh studio album, Going Out in Style, on March 1, 2011. The album debuted at number 6 on the Billboard 200 – the highest position ever for a Dropkick Murphys album – and sold 43,259 copies in the U.S. in its first week. The album was produced by Ted Hutt, and features guest appearances by Bruce Springsteen, Fat Mike, Chris Cheney, and Lenny Clarke.[21] The album's title track was released as the first single and the music video.[22] A few weeks after the album's release, the band released the music video for the album's second single, "Memorial Day".[23]

An extensive tour followed the release of Going Out in Style which included the Shamrock-N-Roll Festival in September 2011. The opening bands on that tour included Chuck Ragan, The Mahones, The Parkington Sisters, various local acts and boxer Mickey Ward giving boxing demonstrations. The co-headlining act on the nine-date tour was Mike McColgan's Street Dogs. This was the first time the two bands would tour together other than appearances on festival lineups such as the Warped Tour. McColgan joined his former band onstage for the first time in thirteen years for performances of such songs as "Barroom Hero" and "Far Way Coast" from Do or Die.[24]

On December 23, 2011, it was announced on their website that the band had begun writing their eighth studio album and that following their 2012 St. Patrick's Day tour they would begin recording in April with hopes for the album to be released in September.[25] The band released Going Out in Style: Fenway Park Bonus Edition on March 13, 2012. The release includes the full 2011 studio album along with an eighteen-track live album recorded at Fenway Park in 2011. The limited edition vinyl version contained two bonus live songs not on the CD.[26]

On March 18, 2012, the band performed a very intimate show at Brighton Music Hall in the Allston section of Boston before a crowd of only 330. The show was 18 and over and special wristbands were sold at various locations in the area. The band performed 37 songs including the entire Do or Die album along with many older songs that hadn't been performed in several years.[27][28] On March 20, 2012, the band released "Sunday Hardcore Matinee", the third single from Going Out in Style, as a limited-edition vinyl seven-inch of only 1,000 copies. The record's B-side is a live version of "Broken Hymns", which was not included on the Fenway Park live album.[29]

At Download Festival 2012, the band announced they had finished their eighth studio album. During the band's summer 2012 dates, they had begun playing three new songs titled "Shark Attack", "Rose Tattoo" and "Road Rise". During their performance on July 1, 2012, Ken announced the new album would be out around the end of 2012.[30][31] On August 24, 2012, the band announced on Facebook that their eighth studio album was complete and the title and artwork would be revealed the following week.[32]

On August 31, 2012, it was announced via Dropkick Murphys' social network pages that the new album would be entitled Signed and Sealed in Blood and would be released on January 8, 2013. The album's title comes from the lyrics from the first single, "Rose Tattoo", which was released as a music video on November 7, 2012. "The Season's Upon Us" was released as the album's second single on December 18, 2012.[33][34] The album made its debut at number 9 on the charts giving the band their second straight top ten charting album and second highest charting album to date. "The Boys Are Back" was released as the album's third single in January 2013. The album's fourth and final single, "Out of our Heads", was also used as the opening theme song for Boston's Finest, TNT's 2013 reality show about the Boston Police Department while "Prisoner's Song" was featured in commercials for Captain Morgan. A tour followed the album's release which included many television appearances to promote the album. The band performed their annual St. Patrick's Day tour in 2013, which culminated in the band performing at their largest headlining show to date, held in the U.S. at TD Garden in Boston.[35]

Former founding Dropkick Murphys members Mike McColgan and Rick Barton formed the group FM359 in early 2013; this was the first time McColgan and Barton had worked together in over fifteen years since McColgan quit the Dropkick Murphys in 1998. Their debut album, Truth, Love and Liberty, was released in January 2014.

The band kicked off the Celtic Invasion Tour in March 2015, which ended with five shows at the House of Blues in Boston for their annual St. Patrick Day performances. In October 2014, the band gave a special nine-song performance aboard the USS Constitution during its final voyage of 2014 and in honor of the historic ship's 217th birthday.[36]

Following the band's performance on November 16, 2014 in San Antonio, TX, the band was headed to Tulsa, OK for their next performance. They also made a stop in Dallas, TX to take Al Barr to the airport so he could fly home to attend the funeral of a close friend. Just north of Austin, TX the band's tour bus was involved in a fatal accident when a pedestrian suddenly ran onto the highway in front of the bus, in what is believed by police to be a suicide. Ken Casey stated that "the band is pretty shaken up and don't want to talk about the situation, especially since they don't even know if the family has been notified yet". The band's bus was badly damaged and their driver was too upset over the tragedy, leading the band to cancel their Tulsa performance. The two acts scheduled to open for the band gave a free show for the fans in Tulsa at a different venue.[37][38]

In 2015, Ken Casey started Murphys Boxing promotion and served as a corner man for boxers such as Danny O'Connor (once ranked one of the top 15 boxers in the world) and Spike O'Sullivan.[39]

On January 21, 2015, the band announced on their Facebook page that at the annual Punk Rock Bowling and Music Festival in Las Vegas in May 2015 they would perform Do or Die in its entirety. They also announced that they are currently writing new music for the next album.

On June 22, 2015, the band announced on Facebook that after a hiatus from the band, they had parted ways with Josh "Scruffy" Wallace after twelve years with the band, stating "We wish Josh and his family all the best going forward and thank him for his time with us."

In November 2015, the band announced plans for their annual St. Patrick's Day tour in 2016 which also marks the band's 20th anniversary.[40] On this tour the Dropkick Murphys announced that they are going to record a new album in May 2016, which will include a cover version of "You'll Never Walk Alone".[41] They also premiered two new songs called "The Ghosts of Rock'n'Roll" and "Sandlot". The band is currently working on their next album in El Paso, TX which is expected to be released around November 2016 to January 2017 according to Casey.

On October 4, 2016, Ken Casey announced that the band would release two new albums in 2017. "One more show left in 2016 then on to a big 2017 with lots of touring and 2 new records!!!!"

On November 3, 2016 it was announced that the band will release their ninth studio album 11 Short Stories of Pain & Glory on January 6, 2017. The album's first single, "Blood", was released with a lyric video through the band's Facebook page on the same day of the album announcement.

When they wrote their first song, Barroom Hero, they were surprised to hear how much the vocal melody sounded like those from old Irish music they heard as children, something the bandmembers at one time tried to reject. "It dawned on us that Irish music was a bigger influence on all of us than we'd realized," said Ken Casey. "Growing up in Boston, every time you went to a wedding or a wake or your grandparents' house, you heard that music. I went through a phase of hating it just because it's what my (folks) listened to."[8]

While frequently referred to as a Celtic punk band, some of their earlier material has also been classified under other punk rock subgenres like Oi!.[44][45]

They frequently cite AC/DC as an influence to their formula of maintaining a specific style, with Casey once saying "I think our goal is to be the AC/DC of Celtic punk rock. The worst thing we can do to the local fans who have stuck with us is to all of a sudden try to be Fall Out Boy with bagpipes."[46] Al Barr commented "We've always said we're like The Ramones or AC/DC with what we do; if it ain't broke, don't fix it. But at the same time, we have to keep challenging ourselves. And if we find that tunes we're putting together for a record are boring us, we're not going to record them."[47]

The Dropkick Murphys have been known for supporting working class and union causes, and have a strong relationship with the AFL-CIO. All of the shirts sold by the band are 100% union made in the United States to show their support for American laborers. The band has said that they are all Democrats,[48] and during the 2004 United States presidential election were part of Punkvoter,[49] a political activist group dedicated to defeating George W. Bush. That year they also appeared on the Rock Against Bush, Vol. 2 compilation contributing the song "We Got the Power".

In 2005, the band released a two-song CD single for the family of Andrew K. Farrar, Jr., a sergeant in the U.S. Marine Corps who was killed on January 28, 2005 in Al Anbar, Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom. Farrar, who was a big fan of the Murphys, made a request to his family that if he did not survive his tour of duty, he wanted "The Fields of Athenry" to be played at his funeral. The single features a slower version of "The Fields of Athenry" that was originally recorded and placed in Farrar's casket, although the band decided to release the alternate version. The disc also features the track "Last Letter Home," which was written about Farrar and was featured on the Murphys' 2005 album The Warrior's Code. All of the proceeds for the $10 single go to the Sgt. Andrew Farrar Memorial Fund and can be purchased through the band's website or at one of their shows.

The band shot a promotional music video in 2008 for their song, "Tomorrow's Industry" which supported the United Healthcare Workers East and hospitals of Massachusetts who were fighting for free and fair union elections so their voice could be heard in the workplace and would provide a better future for their families and communities.[50]

In 2009, Ken Casey founded the charity organization, The Claddagh Fund which supports community-based non-profits with a focus on children and veterans organizations and programs that support alcohol and drug rehabilitation in cities across the country and around the world.[51] In 2011, the band donated $1 from every ticket sold on their nine date Sham Rock-N-Roll Festival to The Claddagh Fund. $1 from every ticket sold at the show of September 11 in Altamont, New York on that tour was donated to various 9/11 charities.

On February 22, 2011, in support of Wisconsin workers' rights, the band released their song "Take 'Em Down" from the album "Going Out in Style" on their website along with creating a limited edition "Take 'Em Down" T-shirt which will benefit the Workers' Rights Emergency Response Fund.[52] Two days later on the MSNBC news show, The Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell, "Take 'Em Down" was used as an intro song to a news story on the Wisconsin workers protest.[53]

Following the aftermath of the 2013 Boston Marathon bombings, the Dropkick Murphys created a special "For Boston" T-shirt they sold through their website with all donations going to the victims of the bombings. The donations reached $65,000 in less than 15 hours and totaled over $100,000.[55] The band also will donate all money from sales from a special three song charity EP titled Rose Tattoo: For Boston Charity EP through iTunes featuring a re-recorded version of their song, "Rose Tattoo" with guest vocals by Bruce Springsteen.[56] Springsteen contacted the band following the tragic events asking if there was anything he could do to help. The band also played benefit shows where all money was donated to the victims including the four who lost their lives.[57]

On October 19, 2014, the band played a special surprise performance at the memorial ceremony for Maj. Michael Donahue, who was from Whitman, Massachusetts and was killed during combat in Afghanistan the previous month. Donahue was a huge fan of the band and they closed out the ceremony which included a performance of his favorite song, "The Green Fields of France".[58]

In November 2014, an 18-year-old was arrested for assaulting two Lancaster, PA police officers (one being a female, who needed to be hospitalized). During the assault the teen screamed out "Dropkick Murphys". A few days following the incident, Ken Casey called the police chief to offer his condolences and apologized for the fan's actions. Casey also sent the officers a UPS package full of shirts, hats and other band garb along with tickets to their show. When asked if the officers would wear the band's gear the police chief joked "probably to court". The police chief wasn't familiar with the band prior to the incident but his officers, including the two assaulted, were. The teen was charged with two counts of felony aggravated assault and misdemeanor counts of resisting arrest and possessing drug paraphernalia. He was released on $40,000 bail.[59][60]

In January 2015, Republican governor of Wisconsin Scott Walker used the band's song "I'm Shipping Up to Boston" when he took to the stage at the Iowa Freedom Summit. The band, who strongly opposes the political views of Walker, posted on their Twitter page "please stop using our music in any way...we literally hate you !!! Love, Dropkick Murphys". This wasn't the first time the song was used by a Republican politician. Wisconsin State Rep and Speaker of the State Assembly Jeff Fitzgerald used the song to which the band replied "The stupidity and irony of this is laughable. A Wisconsin Republican U.S. Senate candidate and crony of anti-Union Governor Scott Walker using a Dropkick Murphys song as an intro is like a white supremacist coming out to gangsta rap! Fitzgerald: if you and your staff can't even figure out your music you might wanna give up on the politics!!!!! We stand beside our Union and Labor brothers and sisters and their families in Wisconsin and all over the U.S!"[61] The band's comments towards Walker gained national media exposure with those in the left-wing media defending the band and those in the right- wing media condemning the band for their comments. The band released a full statement on the issue saying "The bottom line is: when a politician uses our music to walk out to, for better or worse, it brands us with that person. If one of our favorite teams' rivals, such as the Montreal Canadiens, used a Dropkick Murphys song when they took the ice, we'd be equally displeased. We feel that we have the right to ask to not be associated with certain events or people – we don't think that's too much to ask. This isn't a legal issue to us—we're not looking to sue someone. Yes, our words were a little harsh, but it was borne out of frustration with the past history of Wisconsin Republicans, such as Jeff Fitzgerald, using our music. The band has stood for and aligned itself with certain principles since its inception in 1996, so people who react as though we're jumping on some sort of political bandwagon simply don't know the history of the band. We are what we are, we believe what we believe—and for the most part, try to leave our politics to our lyrics."

In December 2015, the band announced they were teaming up with The Pablove Foundation, a group which invests in underfunded, cutting-edge pediatric cancer research, inspires cancer families through education, and improves the lives of children living with cancer through the arts. The band released an exclusive T-shirt which was available for only four days with 100% of the proceeds donated to The Pablove Foundation.[62]

On May 20, 2016, the Dropkick Murphys will receive the "Robert F. Kennedy Children's Action Corps' Embracing the Legacy Award" for years of charity work with various organizations including work with children and military veteran. The award, “which parallels Robert F. Kennedy’s quest for social justice on behalf of society’s most vulnerable people” will be presented to the band at the Kennedy Library.[63]